Nearly four years after President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010, employers continue grappling with the implications of the most sweeping U.S. healthcare reform since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.

While many have dedicated a tremendous amount of time and resources to piecing together the healthcare-reform puzzle, one particular area has received noticeably less attention: the potential impact of the new law on disability and absence management.